Communication system

ABSTRACT

In a communication system, a HeNB measures interference in an energy saving mode. When judging to have detected the interference by a UE during communication with an eNB, the HeNB cancels the energy saving mode and moves to a normal mode and starts issuing a pilot signal. When the UE judges to have detected the pilot signal and reports the judgment results to the eNB, a handover process from the eNB to the HeNB is performed for the UE.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a communication system in which acommunication terminal device and a base station device perform radiocommunication.

BACKGROUND ART

Commercial service of a wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA)system among so-called third-generation communication systems has beenoffered in Japan since 2001. In addition, high speed downlink packetaccess (HSDPA) service for achieving higher-speed data transmissionusing a downlink has been offered by adding a channel for packettransmission (high speed-downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH)) to thedownlink (dedicated data channel, dedicated control channel). Further,in order to increase the speed of data transmission in an uplinkdirection, service of a high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) systemhas been offered. W-CDMA is a communication system defined by the 3rdgeneration partnership project (3GPP) that is the standard organizationregarding the mobile communication system, where the specifications ofRelease 10 version are produced.

Further, 3GPP is studying new communication systems referred to as longterm evolution (LTE) regarding radio areas and system architectureevolution (SAE) regarding the overall system configuration including acore network (hereinafter, merely referred to as “network” as well) ascommunication systems independent of W-CDMA. This communication systemis also referred to as 3.9 generation (3.9 G) system.

In the LTE, an access scheme, a radio channel configuration, and aprotocol are totally different from those of the W-CDMA (HSDPA/HSUPA).For example, as to the access scheme, code division multiple access isused in the W-CDMA, while in the LTE, orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) is used in a downlink direction and single carrierfrequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) is used in an uplinkdirection. In addition, the bandwidth is 5 MHz in the W-CDMA, while inthe LTE, the bandwidth can be selected from 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz per base station. Further, differently from theW-CDMA, circuit switching is not provided but a packet communicationsystem is only provided in the LTE.′

In the LTE, a communication system is configured with a new core networkdifferent from the general packet radio service (GPRS) being the corenetwork of the W-CDMA, and thus, the radio access network of the LTE isdefined as a radio access network independent of the W-CDMA network.

Therefore, for differentiation from the W-CDMA communication system, aradio access network is referred to as an evolved universal terrestrialradio access network (E-UTRAN) in the LTE communication system. The basestation that communicates with a mobile terminal (user equipment (UE))being a communication terminal device is referred to as an E-UTRAN NodeB(eNB). The radio network controller that exchanges control data and userdata with a plurality of base stations is also referred to as an evolvedpacket core (EPC) or an access gateway (aGW).

Non-Patent Document 1 (Chapter 4) describes the current decisions by3GPP regarding an overall architecture in the LTE system. The overallarchitecture will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is adiagram illustrating the configuration of the LTE communication system.With reference to FIG. 1, the E-UTRAN is composed of one or a pluralityof base stations 102, provided that a control protocol for a userequipment 101 such as a radio resource control (RRC), and user planessuch as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio link control(RLC), medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) areterminated in the base station 102.

The base stations 102 perform scheduling and transmission of a pagingsignal (also referred to as paging messages) notified from a mobilitymanagement entity (MME) 103. The base stations 102 are connected to eachother by means of an X2 interface. In addition, the base stations 102are connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) 105 by means of an S1interface. More specifically, the base station 102 is connected to themobility management entity (MME) 103 of the EPC 105 by means of anS1_MME interface and connected to a serving gateway (S-GW) 104 of theEPC 105 by means of an S1_U interface.

The MME 103 distributes the paging signal to a plurality of or a singlebase station 102. In addition, the MME 103 performs mobility control ofan idle state. When the user equipment is in the idle state and anactive state, the MME 103 manages a list of tracking areas.

The S-GW 104 transmits/receives user data to/from one or a plurality ofbase stations 102. The S-GW 104 serves as a local mobility anchor pointin handover between base stations. Moreover, a PDN gateway (P-GW, whichis not shown here) is provided in the EPC 105. The P-GW performsper-user packet filtering and UE-ID address allocation.

The control protocol RRC between the user equipment 101 and the basestation 102 performs broadcast, paging, RRC connection management, andthe like. The states of the base station and the user equipment in RRCare classified into RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED. In RRC_IDLE, public landmobile network (PLMN) selection, system information (SI) broadcast,paging, cell re-selection, mobility, and the like are performed. InRRC_CONNECTED, the user equipment has RRC connection and is capable oftransmitting/receiving data to/from a network. In RRC_CONNECTED, forexample, handover (HO) and measurement of a neighbour cell areperformed.

The decisions by 3GPP regarding the frame configuration in the LTEsystem described in Non-Patent Document 1 (Chapter 5) will be describedwith reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating theconfiguration of a radio frame used in the LTE communication system.With reference to FIG. 2, one radio frame is 10 ms. The radio frame isdivided into ten equally sized subframes. The subframe is divided intotwo equally sized slots. The first and sixth subframes contain adownlink synchronization signal (SS) per each radio frame. Thesynchronization signals are classified into a primary synchronizationsignal (P-SS) and a secondary synchronization signal (S-SS).

Non-Patent Document 1 (Chapter 5) describes the decisions by 3GPPregarding the channel configuration in the LTE system. It is assumedthat the same channel configuration is used in a closed subscriber group(CSG) cell as that of a non-CSG cell. Physical channels will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustratingphysical channels used in the LTE communication system.

With reference to FIG. 3, a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 401 is achannel for downlink transmission from the base station (eNB) 102 to theuser equipment (UE) 101. A BCH transport block is mapped to foursubframes within a 40 ms interval. There is no explicit signalingindicating 40 ms timing.

A physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) 402 is a channelfor downlink transmission from the base station 102 to the userequipment 101. The PCFICH notifies the number of OFDM symbols used forPDCCHs from the base station 102 to the user equipment 101. The PCFICHis transmitted in each subframe.

A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) 403 is a channel fordownlink transmission from the base station 102 to the user equipment101. The PDCCH notifies the resource allocation information for adownlink shared channel (DL-SCH) being one of the transport channelsshown in FIG. 4 described below, resource allocation information for apaging channel (PCH) being one of the transport channels shown in FIG.4, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related toDL-SCH. The PDCCH carries an uplink scheduling grant. The PDCCH carriesacknowledgement (Ack)/negative acknowledgement (Nack) that is a responsesignal to uplink transmission. The PDCCH is referred to as an L1/L2control signal as well.

A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 404 is a channel for downlinktransmission from the base station 102 to the user equipment 101. Adownlink shared channel (DL-SCH) that is a transport channel and a PCHthat is a transport channel are mapped to the PDSCH.

A physical multicast channel (PMCH) 405 is a channel for downlinktransmission from the base station 102 to the user equipment 101. Amulticast channel (MCH) that is a transport channel is mapped to thePMCH.

A physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) 406 is a channel for uplinktransmission from the user equipment 101 to the base station 102. ThePUCCH carries Ack/Nack that is a response signal to downlinktransmission. The PUCCH carries a channel quality indicator (CQI)report. The CQI is quality information indicating the quality ofreceived data or channel quality. In addition, the PUCCH carries ascheduling request (SR).

A physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) 407 is a channel for uplinktransmission from the user equipment 101 to the base station 102. Anuplink shared channel (UL-SCH) that is one of the transport channelsshown in FIG. 4 is mapped to the PUSCH.

A physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH) 408 is a channel fordownlink transmission from the base station 102 to the user equipment101. The PHICH carries Ack/Nack that is a response signal to uplinktransmission. A physical random access channel (PRACH) 409 is a channelfor uplink transmission from the user equipment 101 to the base station102. The PRACH carries a random access preamble.

A downlink reference signal (RS) is a known symbol in the LTEcommunication system. The following five types of downlink referencesignals are defined: cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), MBSFNreference signals, data demodulation reference signals (DM-RSs) beingUE-specific reference signals, positioning reference signals (PRSs), andchannel-state information reference signals (CSI-RSs). The physicallayer measurement objects of a user equipment include reference signalreceived power (RSRP).

The transport channels described in Non-Patent Document 1 (Chapter 5)will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagramillustrating transport channels used in the LTE communication system.Part (A) of FIG. 4 shows mapping between downlink transport channels anddownlink physical channels. Part (B) of FIG. 4 shows mapping betweenuplink transport channels and uplink physical channels.

A broadcast channel (BCH) among the downlink transport channels shown inpart (A) of FIG. 4 is broadcast to the entire coverage of a base station(cell). The BCH is mapped to the physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

Retransmission control according to a hybrid ARQ (HARQ) is applied to adownlink shared channel (DL-SCH). The DL-SCH enables broadcast to theentire coverage of the base station (cell). The DL-SCH supports dynamicor semi-static resource allocation. The semi-static resource allocationis also referred to as persistent scheduling. The DL-SCH supportsdiscontinuous reception (DRX) of a user equipment for enabling the userequipment to save power. The DL-SCH is mapped to the physical downlinkshared channel (PDSCH).

The paging channel (PCH) supports DRX of the user equipment for enablingthe user equipment to save power. The PCH is required to broadcast tothe entire coverage of the base station (cell). The PCH is mapped tophysical resources such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)that can be used dynamically for traffic.

The multicast channel (MCH) is used for broadcast to the entire coverageof the base station (cell). The MCH supports SFN combining of MBMSservices (MTCH and MCCH) in multi-cell transmission. The MCH supportssemi-static resource allocation. The MCH is mapped to the PMCH.

Retransmission control according to a hybrid ARQ (HARQ) is applied to anuplink shared channel (UL-SCH) among the uplink transport channels shownin part (B) of FIG. 4. The UL-SCH supports dynamic or semi-staticresource allocation. The UL-SCH is mapped to the physical uplink sharedchannel (PUSCH).

A random access channel (RACH) is limited to control information. TheRACH involves a collision risk. The RACH is mapped to the physicalrandom access channel (PRACH).

The logical channels described in Non-Patent Document 1 (Chapter 6) willbe described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustratinglogical channels used in an LTE communication system. Part (A) of FIG. 5shows mapping between downlink logical channels and downlink transportchannels. Part (B) of FIG. 5 shows mapping between uplink logicalchannels and uplink transport channels.

A broadcast control channel (BCCH) is a downlink channel for broadcastsystem control information. The BCCH that is a logical channel is mappedto the broadcast channel (BCH) or downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) thatis a transport channel.

A paging control channel (PCCH) is a downlink channel for transmittingpaging information and system information change notifications. The PCCHis used when the network does not know the cell location of a userequipment. The PCCH that is a logical channel is mapped to the pagingchannel (PCH) that is a transport channel.

A common control channel (CCCH) is a channel for transmission controlinformation between user equipments and a base station. The CCCH is usedin a case where the user equipments have no RRC connection with thenetwork. In a downlink direction, the CCCH is mapped to the downlinkshared channel (DL-SCH) that is a transport channel. In an uplinkdirection, the CCCH is mapped to the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) thatis a transport channel.

A multicast control channel (MCCH) is a downlink channel forpoint-to-multipoint transmission. The MCCH is used for transmission ofMBMS control information for one or several MTCHs from a network to auser equipment. The MCCH is used only by a user equipment duringreception of the MBMS. The MCCH is mapped to the multicast channel (MCH)that is a transport channel.

A dedicated control channel (DCCH) is a point-to-point channel thattransmits dedicated control information between a user equipment and anetwork. The DCCH is used if the user equipment has an RRC connection.The DCCH is mapped to the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in uplink andmapped to the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) in downlink.

A dedicated traffic channel (DTCH) is a point-to-point communicationchannel for transmission of user information to a dedicated userequipment. The DTCH exists in uplink as well as downlink. The DTCH ismapped to the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in uplink and mapped to thedownlink shared channel (DL-SCH) in downlink.

A multicast traffic channel (MTCH) is a downlink channel for trafficdata transmission from a network to a user equipment. The MTCH is achannel used only by a user equipment during reception of the MBMS. TheMTCH is mapped to the multicast channel (MCH).

CGI represents a cell global identifier. ECGI represents an E-UTRAN cellglobal identifier. A closed subscriber group (CSG) cell is introduced inthe LTE, and the long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) and universalmobile telecommunication system (UMTS) described below. The CSG will bedescribed below (see Chapter 3.1 of Non-Patent Document 2).

The closed subscriber group (CSG) cell is a cell in which subscriberswho are allowed to use are specified by an operator (also referred to asa “cell for specific subscribers”). The specified subscribers areallowed to access one or more cells of a public land mobile network(PLMN). One or more cells in which the specified subscribers are allowedaccess are referred to as “CSG cell(s).” Note that access is limited inthe PLMN.

The CSG cell is part of the PLMN that broadcasts a specific CSG identity(CSG ID; CSG-ID) and broadcasts “TRUE” in a CSG indication. Theauthorized members of the subscriber group who have registered inadvance access the CSG cells using the CSG-ID that is the accesspermission information.

The CSG-ID is broadcast by the CSG cell or cells. A plurality of CSG-IDsexist in the LTE communication system. The CSG-IDs are used by userequipments (UEs) for making access from CSG-related members easier.

The locations of user equipments are tracked based on an area composedof one or more cells. The locations are tracked for enabling tracking ofthe locations of user equipments and calling user equipments, in otherwords, incoming calling to user equipments even in an idle state. Anarea for tracking locations of user equipments is referred to as atracking area.

The CSG whitelist is a list that may be stored in a universal subscriberidentity module (USIM) in which all CSG IDs of the CSG cells to whichthe subscribers belong are recorded. The CSG whitelist may be merelyreferred to as a whitelist or an allowed CSG list as well. As to theaccess of user equipments through a CSG cell, the MME performs accesscontrol (see Chapter 4.3.1.2 of Non-Patent Document 3). Specificexamples of the access of user equipments include attach, combinedattach, detach, service request, and a tracking area update procedure(see Chapter 4.3.1.2 of Non-Patent Document 3).

The service types of a user equipment in an idle state will be describedbelow (see Chapter 4.3 of Non-Patent Document 2). The service types ofuser equipments in an idle state include a limited service, standardservice (normal service), and operator service. The limited serviceincludes emergency calls, earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS),and commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) on an acceptable celldescribed below. The standard service (also referred to as normalservice) is a public service on a suitable cell described below. Theoperator service includes a service for operators only on a reservedcell described below.

A “suitable cell” will be described below. The “suitable cell” is a cellon which a UE may camp to obtain normal service. Such a cell shallfulfill the following conditions (1) and (2).

(1) The cell is part of the selected PLMN or the registered PLMN, orpart of the PLMN of an “equivalent PLMN list.”

(2) According to the latest information provided by a non-access stratum(NAS), the cell shall further fulfill the following conditions (a) to(d):

(a) the cell is not a barred cell;

(b) the cell is part of a tracking area (TA), not part of the list of“forbidden LAs for roaming,” where the cell needs to fulfill (1) above;

(c) the cell shall fulfill the cell selection criteria; and

(d) for a cell specified as CSG cell by system information (SI), theCSG-ID is part of a “CSG whitelist” of the UE, that is, is contained inthe “CSG whitelist” of the UE.

An “acceptable cell” will be described below. The “acceptable cell” is acell on which a UE may camp to obtain limited service. Such a cell shallfulfill the all following requirements (1) and (2).

(1) The cell is not a prohibited cell (also referred to as a “barredcell”).

(2) The cell fulfills the cell selection criteria.

“Barred cell” is indicated in the system information. “Reserved cell” isindicated in the system information.

“Camping on a cell” represents the state where a UE has completed thecell selection/cell reselection process and the UE has selected a cellfor monitoring the system information and paging information. The cellon which the UE camps may be referred to as a “serving cell.”

3GPP is studying base stations referred to as Home-NodeB (Home-NB; HNB)and Home-eNodeB (Home-eNB; HeNB). HNB/HeNB is a base station for, forexample, household, corporation, or commercial access service inUTRAN/E-UTRAN.

In a typical communication system supporting the movement on the ground,a large-scale base station configuring a relatively large large-scalecell configures a relatively wide service area. A small-scale basestation configuring a small-scale cell having a relatively small servicearea is installed in a specific place in the wide service area, such asa house to process the communication of a user in the house by thesmall-scale base station, thereby reducing the processing load of thelarge-scale base station and improving the communication quality of theuser in the house.

Non-Patent Document 4 discloses three different modes of the access tothe HeNB and HNB. Specifically, an open access mode, a closed accessmode, and a hybrid access mode are disclosed.

The respective modes have the following characteristics. In the openaccess mode, the HeNB and HNB are operated as a normal cell of a normaloperator. In the closed access mode, the HeNB and HNB are operated as aCSG cell. The CSG cell in the closed access mode is a CSG cell whereonly CSG members are allowed access. In the hybrid access mode, the HeNBand HNB are operated as CSG cells where non-CSG members are allowedaccess at the same time. In other words, a cell in the hybrid accessmode (also referred to as a hybrid cell) is a cell that supports boththe open access mode and the closed access mode.

In 3GPP, among all physical cell identities (PCTs), there is a range ofPCIs reserved by the network for use by CSG cells (see Chapter 10.5.1.1of Non-Patent Document 1). Division of the PCI range is also referred toas PCI split. The PCI split information is broadcast in the systeminformation from a base station to user equipments being served thereby.A user equipment served by a base station means a user equipment thattakes the base station as a serving cell.

Non-Patent Document 5 discloses the basic operation of a user equipmentusing PCI split. The user equipment that does not have the PCI splitinformation needs to perform cell search using all PCIs, for example,using all 504 codes. On the other hand, the user equipment that has thePCI split information is capable of performing cell search using the PCIsplit information.

The base station has two operation modes, namely, a normal mode and anenergy saving mode. In the normal mode, a base station performs atransmission operation for a downlink transmission signal to betransmitted to a user equipment and a reception operation for an uplinktransmission signal transmitted from the user equipment. The basestation accordingly provides services to user equipments being servedthereby. In the energy saving mode, the base station stops at least thetransmission operation for a downlink transmission signal, therebystopping the provision of services to the user equipments being servedthereby.

The base station configures one or a plurality of cells. In the casewhere the base station configures a plurality of cells, the base stationis configured to be switchable between the normal mode and the energysaving mode per cell.

In the LTE communication system, a relatively small cell (hereinafter,also referred to as a “hotspot cell”) may be deployed in a cell(hereinafter, also referred to as a “coverage cell”) configuring a basicservice area to locally increase service capacity. The coverage cell isa large-scale cell and has a relatively large coverage. The hotspot cellis a small-scale cell and has a relatively small coverage.

For relatively high traffic in the communication system, a coverage celland a hotspot cell are both operated in the normal mode. If the coveragecell alone can allocate service capacity due to decreased traffic, thehotspot cell may shift to the energy saving mode. When the traffic ofthe coverage cell increases, the base station that configures a coveragecell (hereinafter, also referred to as a “coverage cell base station”)shifts any of the base stations that configure a hotspot cell(hereinafter, also referred to as “hotspot cell base stations”) from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode.

Non-Patent Document 6 discloses the method of shifting the base station,which has entered the energy saving mode and stopped the provision ofservices to user equipments, to the normal mode.

In the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 6, for example, whendetecting high traffic, the coverage cell base station instructs aplurality of hotspot cell base stations to cancel the energy saving modeand to measure interference. Each hotspot cell base station cancels theenergy saving mode and measures interference, and then reports theinterference to the coverage cell base station.

The coverage cell base station that has reported interference determinesa target hotspot cell base station whose operation is to be restartedfrom a plurality of hotspot cell base stations that have reportedinterference, and instructs the determined hotspot cell base station tostart issuing a pilot signal.

The hotspot cell base station that has been instructed to start issuinga pilot signal issues a pilot signal. Upon detection of the pilot signalfrom the hotspot cell base station, the UE reports the detection of thepilot signal to the coverage cell base station. The coverage cell basestation requests the MME to perform handover and, if the MME permits it,instructs the UE to perform handover. The UE performs handover from thecoverage cell base station to the hotspot cell base station.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Non-Patent Documents

Non-Patent Document 1: 3GPP TS 36.300 V 10.2.0

Non-Patent Document 2: 3GPP TS 36.304 V10.0.0 Chapter 3.1, Chapter 4.3,Chapter 5.2.4

Non-Patent Document 3: 3GPP TR 23.830 V9.0.0

Non-Patent Document 4: 3GPP S1-083461

Non-Patent Document 5: 3GPP R2-082899

Non-Patent Document 6: 3GPP TR 36.927 V2.0.0

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The HeNB can be classified as the hotspot cell base station from theviewpoint of the size of its coverage area and its deployment.Meanwhile, also in the case where the traffic of the coverage cell basestation is not high, the HeNB needs to shift from the energy saving modeto the normal mode to provide services to specific users. 3GPP has notdiscussed a specific method for such a shift.

Considering that the HeNB shifts from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode by the typical technique, the fundamental problem ariseswhere a trigger for the shift will not arrive until the traffic of thecoverage cell base station increases.

Further, even if the trigger arrives, the coverage cell base stationneeds to instruct a plurality of hotspot cell base stations to measureinterference power via signaling. The coverage cell base station alsoneeds to determine a hotspot cell base station that will shift from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode, based on the report on themeasurement results of interference power. This leads to a problem ofcomplicated, a time-consuming procedure.

There is another problem that signaling is performed to the hotspot cellthat eventually does not need to be shifted from the energy saving modeto the normal mode. For example, the base station configuring a hotspotcell, in which communication is not allowed because a user equipment isout of the coverage of the cell, may be unfortunately shifted from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode via signaling.

The present invention has an object to provide a communication systemcapable of, in a case where a small-scale cell is deployed in alarge-scale cell, swiftly shifting only a small-scale base stationdevice configuring a small-scale cell in which the small-scale basestation device is configured to perform communication with acommunication terminal device from an energy saving mode to a normalmode, irrespective of the traffic situation of a large-scale basestation device configuring a large-scale cell.

Means to Solve the Problems

A communication system according to the present invention includes acommunication terminal device, a large-scale base station device thatconfigures a large-scale cell having a relatively large range in whichthe large-scale base station device is configured to perform radiocommunication with the communication terminal device, and a small-scalebase station device that configures a small-scale cell having arelatively small range in which the small-scale base station device isconfigured to perform the radio communication, where the small-scalecell is installed in the large-scale cell. The small-scale base stationdevice has two operation modes of a normal mode and an energy savingmode and is capable of shifting from the normal mode to the energysaving mode and shifting from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.The small-scale base station device performs a transmission operationfor a downlink transmission signal to be transmitted to thecommunication terminal device and a reception operation for an uplinktransmission signal transmitted from the communication terminal devicein the normal mode. The small-scale base station device stops at leastthe transmission operation in the energy saving mode. In the energysaving mode, the small-scale base station device performs a detectionoperation of detecting interference against the own device and, upondetection of the interference by the communication terminal deviceduring communication with the large-scale base station device, shiftsfrom the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

Effects of the Invention

In the communication system of the present invention, the small-scalecell configured by the small-scale base station device is deployed inthe large-scale cell configured by the large-scale base station device.The small-scale base station device performs the transmission operationand the reception operation in the normal mode and stops at least thetransmission operation in the energy saving mode. The small-scale basestation device performs the detection operation in the energy savingmode and, upon detection of the interference by the communicationterminal device during communication with the large-scale base stationdevice through the detection operation, shifts from the energy savingmode to the normal mode. This allows only the small-scale base stationdevice that configures the small-scale cell in which the small-scalebase station is configured to perform communication with thecommunication terminal device to swiftly shift from the energy savingmode to the normal mode irrespective of the traffic situation of thelarge-scale base station device that configures the large-scale cell.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an LTEcommunication system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a radio frame usedin the LTE communication system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating physical channels used in the LTEcommunication system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating transport channels used in the LTEcommunication system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating logical channels used in the LTEcommunication system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an LTEcommunication system currently under discussion of 3GPP.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station(base station 72 in FIG. 6) according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an example state in which cells are deployed in the LTEcommunication system.

FIG. 9 shows an example sequence of a process of shifting from an energysaving mode to a normal mode and a handover process in the case wherethe method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 6 is used.

FIG. 10 shows an example sequence of a process of shifting from anenergy saving mode to a normal mode and a handover process in a firstembodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an LTEcommunication system, which is currently under discussion of 3GPP. 3GPPis studying an overall configuration of a system including closedsubscriber group (CSG) cells (Home-eNodeBs (Home-eNB; HeNB) of E-UTRAN,Home-NB (HNB) of UTRAN) and non-CSG cells (eNodeB (eNB) of E-UTRAN,NodeB (NB) of UTRAN, and BSS of GERAN) and, as to E-UTRAN, is proposingthe configuration as shown in FIG. 6 (see Chapter 4.6.1 of Non-PatentDocument 1). The present invention is applicable not only to HeNBs butalso to pico cells. The pico cell will be also referred to as HeNBbelow.

FIG. 6 will be described. A mobile terminal device (hereinafter,referred to as a “user equipment” or “UE”) 71 is capable of performingradio communication with a base station device (hereinafter, referred toas a “base station”) 72 and transmits/receives signals through radiocommunication. The base stations 72 are classified into an eNB 72-1 thatis a macro cell and a Home-eNB 72-2 that is a local node. The eNB 72-1has a relatively large-scale coverage as the coverage in a range inwhich the eNB 72-1 is configured to perform communication with the userequipment (UE) 71. The Home-eNB 72-2 has a relatively small-scalecoverage as the coverage.

The eNB 72-1 is connected to an MME/S-GW unit (hereinafter, alsoreferred to as an “MME unit”) 73 including an MME, S-GW, or MME and S-GWby means of an S1 interface, and control information is communicatedbetween the eNB 72-1 and the MME unit 73. A plurality of MME units 73may be connected to one eNB 72-1. The MME unit 73 is included in a corenetwork. The eNBs 72-1 are connected to each other by means of an X2interface, and control information is communicated between the eNBs72-1.

The Home-eNB 72-2 is connected to the MME unit 73 by means of an S1interface, and control information is communicated between the Home-eNB72-2 and the MME unit 73. A plurality of Home-eNBs 72-2 are connected toone MME unit 73. Or, the Home-eNBs 72-2 are connected to the MME units73 through a Home-eNB Gateway (HeNBGW) 74. The Home-eNBs 72-2 areconnected to the HeNBGW 74 by means of the S1 interface, and the HeNBGW74 is connected to the MME units 73 by means of an S1 interface.

One or a plurality of Home-eNBs 72-2 are connected to one HeNBGW 74, andinformation is communicated therebetween through an S1 interface. TheHeNBGW 74 is connected to one or a plurality of MME units 73, andinformation is communicated therebetween through an S1 interface.

The MME units 73 and HeNBGW 74 are devices of higher node devices andcontrol the connection between the user equipment (UE) 71 and the eNB72-1 or Home-eNB 72-2 being a base station. The MME units 73 and HeNBGW74 are included in a core network. The base station 72 and the HeNBGW 74constitute an E-UTRAN 70.

Further, 3GPP is currently studying the configuration below. The X2interface between the Home-eNBs 72-2 is supported. In other words, theHome-eNBs 72-2 are connected to each other by means of an X2 interface,and control information is communicated between the Home-eNBs 72-2. TheHeNBGW 74 appears to the MME unit 73 as the Home-eNB 72-2. The HeNBGW 74appears to the Home-eNB 72-2 as the MME unit 73.

The interfaces between the Home-eNBs 72-2 and the MME units 73 are thesame, which are the S1 interfaces, in both cases where the Home-eNB 72-2is connected to the MME unit 73 through the HeNBGW 74 and it is directlyconnected to the MME unit 73. The HeNBGW 74 does not support themobility to the Home-eNB 72-2 or the mobility from the Home-eNB 72-2that spans a plurality of MME units 73. The Home-eNB 72-2 constitutesand supports a single cell.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the base station(base station 72 in FIG. 6) according to the present invention. The basestation 72 includes an EPC communication unit 901, a communication withanother base station unit 902, a protocol processing unit 903, atransmission data buffer unit 904, an encoding unit 905, a modulatingunit 906, a transmitting and receiving unit 907, an antenna 908, ademodulating unit 909, a decoding unit 910, and a control unit 911. Thetransmitting and receiving unit 907 includes a transmitting unit 912, asynthesizing unit 913, and a receiving unit 914.

The transmission process of the base station 72 shown in FIG. 7 will bedescribed. The EPC communication unit 901 performs datatransmission/reception between the base station 72 and the EPCs (such asthe MME unit 73 and the HeNBGW 74). The communication with another basestation unit 902 performs data transmission/reception to/from anotherbase station. The EPC communication unit 901 and the communication withanother base station unit 902 respectively transmit/receive informationto/from the protocol processing unit 903. The control data from theprotocol processing unit 903, and the user data and control data fromthe EPC communication unit 901 and the communication with another basestation unit 902 are stored in a transmission data buffer unit 904.

The data stored in the transmission data buffer unit 904 is transmittedto the encoding unit 905 and is then subjected to an encoding processsuch as error correction. There may exist the data output from thetransmission data buffer unit 904 directly to the modulating unit 906without the encoding process. The encoded data is modulated by themodulating unit 906. The modulated data is output to the transmittingunit 912 after being converted into a baseband signal, and is thenconverted into a radio transmission frequency. After that, atransmission signal is transmitted from the antenna 908 to one or aplurality of user equipments 71.

The reception process of the base station 72 is executed as follows. Aradio signal from one or a plurality of user equipments 71 is receivedthrough the antenna 908. The received signal is converted from a radioreception frequency into a baseband signal by the receiving unit 914,and is then demodulated by the demodulating unit 909. The demodulateddata is transmitted to the decoding unit 910 and is then subjected to adecoding process such as error correction. Among the pieces of decodeddata, the control data is transmitted to the protocol processing unit903, EPC communication unit 901, or communication with another basestation unit 902, while the user data is transmitted to the EPCcommunication unit 901 and the communication with another base stationunit 902. A series of processes by the base station 72 is controlled bythe control unit 911. This means that, though not shown in FIG. 7, thecontrol unit 911 is connected to the respective units 901 to 914.

The functions of the Home-eNB 72-2 currently under discussion of 3GPPwill be described below (see Chapter 4.6.2 of Non-Patent Document 1).The Home-eNB 72-2 has the same function as that of the eNB 72-1. Inaddition, the Home-eNB 72-2 has the function of discovering a suitableserving HeNBGW 74 in a case of connection to the HeNBGW 74. The Home-eNB72-2 is connected only to one HeNBGW 74. That is, in a case of theconnection to the HeNBGW 74, the Home-eNB 72-2 does not use the Flexfunction in the S1 interface. When the Home-eNB 72-2 is connected to oneHeNBGW 74, it is not simultaneously connected to another HeNBGW 74 oranother MME unit 73.

The TAC and PLMN ID of the Home-eNB 72-2 are supported by the HeNBGW 74.When the Home-eNB 72-2 is connected to the HeNBGW 74, selection of theMME unit 73 at “UE attachment” is performed by the HeNBGW 74 instead ofthe Home-eNB 72-2. The Home-eNB 72-2 may be deployed without networkplanning. In this case, the Home-eNB 72-2 is moved from one geographicalarea to another geographical area. The Home-eNB 72-2 in this case isaccordingly required to be connected to a different HeNBGW 74 dependingon its location.

The function of the HeNBGW 74 currently under discussion of 3GPP will bedescribed below (see Chapter 4.6.2 of Non-Patent Document 1). The HeNBGW74 relays an S1 application. The HeNBGW 74 terminates the S1 applicationthat is not associated with the user equipment 71 though it is a part ofthe procedures toward the Home-eNB 72-2 and towards the MME(hereinafter, referred to as “MME 73 a”) of the MME 73. When the HeNBGW74 is deployed, the procedure that is not associated with the userequipment 71 is communicated between the Home-eNB 72-2 and the HeNBGW 74and between the HeNBGW 74 and the MME 73 a. The X2 interface is not setbetween the HeNBGW 74 and another node. The HeNBGW 74 recognizes theexecution of paging optimization as an option.

The HeNB and HNB are required to support various services. For example,an operator causes a predetermined HeNB and HNB to register userequipments therewith and permits only the registered user equipments toaccess the cells of the HeNB and HNB, which increases radio resourcesavailable for the user equipments and enables high-speed communication.The operator correspondingly sets a high charge compared with a normalservice.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned service, the closed subscribergroup (CSG) cell accessible only to the registered (subscribed ormember) user equipments is introduced. It is required to install a largenumber of closed subscriber group (CSG) cells in shopping malls,apartment buildings, schools, companies, and the like. For example, thefollowing manner of use is required: the CSG cells are installed foreach store in shopping malls, for each room in apartment buildings, foreach classroom in schools, and for each section in companies such thatonly the users who have registered with the respective CSG cells arepermitted to use those CSG cells.

The HeNB/HNB is required not only to function as an area complementingHeNB/HNB for complementing the communication outside the coverage of themacro cell but also to function as a service providing HeNB/HNB forsupporting various services as described above. This also leads to acase where the HeNB/HNB is installed within the coverage of the macrocell.

FIG. 8 shows an example state in which cells are deployed in an LTEcommunication system. FIG. 8 shows a situation in which relatively smallcells C, D, E, F, and G (1311, 1312, 1313, 1314, and 1315) are includedin relatively large cells A and B (1301 and 1302). The cell A (1301) andcell B (1302) are macro cells and configure a basic service area. Thecell C (1311), cell D (1312), cell E (1313), cell F (1314), and cell G(1315) are cells configured by the HeNB or HNB that is deployed in thecoverage of a macro cell and are used to locally increase servicecapacity.

The cell A (1301) and cell B (1302) are the above-mentioned coveragecells, corresponding to large-scale cells. The cell C (1311), cell D(1312), cell E (1313), cell F (1314), and cell G (1315) are theabove-mentioned hotspot cells, corresponding to small-scale cells. Thelarge-scale cell has a relatively large coverage in which thelarge-scale cell is configured to perform radio communication with acommunication terminal device. The small-scale cell has a relativelysmall coverage. In other words, the large-scale cell has a coveragelarger than that of the small-scale cell.

If the traffic in the communication system is relatively high, thecoverage cells and the hotspot cells are both operated in the normalmode. If the coverage cell alone can allocate service capacity due todecreased traffic, the hotspot cell may shift to the energy saving mode.When the traffic of the coverage cell increases, the eNB being a basestation that configures a coverage cell (hereinafter, also referred toas “coverage cell eNB”) shifts any of the eNBs being the base stationconfiguring hotspot cells (hereinafter, also referred to as “hotspotcell eNBs”) from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

The coverage cell eNB cannot be informed as to which hotspot cell eNB isoptimally shifted from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.Non-Patent Document 6 reports some specific methods, scenarios A to D,as the method of determining a hotspot cell eNB to be shifted.

(Scenario A)

In one method, low-traffic time periods are predefined for each hotspotcell eNB, and upon completion of that time period, the hotspot cell eNBshifts from the energy saving mode to the normal mode owing to theoperation administration and maintenance (abbreviated as OAM) function.

(Scenario B)

In another method, upon detection of high traffic, the coverage cell eNBinstructs some hotspot cell eNBs to measure the power of an interferencewave and receives the measurement results via signaling. Based on thesereports, the coverage cell eNB determines which hotspot cell eNB shouldbe shifted from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

(Scenario C)

In another method, upon detection of high traffic, the coverage cell eNBinstructs several hotspot cell eNBs to transmit a pilot signal for ashort time interval via signaling. The UE in the hotspot cell detectsthe pilot signal and reports the detection results to the coverage celleNB, allowing the coverage cell eNB to determine which hotspot cell eNBshould be shifted from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

(Scenario D)

In another method, upon detection of high traffic, the coverage cell eNBuses a combination of the location information of a UE, the locationinformation of a hotspot cell, and the transmission output informationof a hotspot cell eNB, thereby determining which hotspot cell eNB shouldbe shifted from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

Description will be given of the procedure of the process of shiftingfrom the energy saving mode to the normal mode and the handover processin the case where the UE moves to the cell of the eNB in the energysaving mode in the cell deployment as shown in FIG. 8 described above.First, the case in which the eNB to be shifted from the energy savingmode to the normal mode is determined by the method disclosed inNon-Patent Document 6 will be described.

FIG. 9 shows an example sequence of the process of shifting from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode and the handover process in thecase where the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 6 is used. InFIG. 9, eNB denotes a coverage cell eNB, and eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3 denotehotspot cells eNB. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the UE is duringcommunication with the eNB. The eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3 are in the energysaving mode.

In Step ST11, the eNB makes comparison with, for example, apredetermined threshold, to judge whether or not high traffic isdetected. The eNB moves to Step ST12 when judging that is has detectedhigh traffic or waits until high traffic is detected when detecting thatit has not detected high traffic.

In Steps ST12 to ST14, the eNB individually requests the eNB1, eNB2, andeNB3 to switch on listening capability, thereby instructing them tocancel the energy saving mode. Together with the cancellation of theenergy saving mode, the eNB individually provides the eNB1, eNB2, andeNB3 with an instruction to measure interference power that is aninstruction to perform interference measurement for measuring the powerof an interference wave (hereinafter, also referred to as “interferencepower”).

In Step ST15, the eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3 individually cancel the energysaving mode. In Step ST16, the eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3 individually measureinterference. In Steps ST17 to ST19, the eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3individually report interference to the eNB.

In Step ST20, the eNB that has received the interference report from theeNB1, eNB2, and eNB3 determines the eNB as a hotspot cell being anoperation restarting target, which is a target whose operation is to berestarted, namely, a target to be shifted from the energy saving mode tothe normal mode (hereinafter, also referred to as a “shift target”). Inthe example shown in FIG. 9, the eNB determines the eNB 1 as the shifttarget. In Step ST21, the eNB instructs the eNB1 to start issuing apilot signal. Upon this, the eNB urges the eNB1 to shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode, specifically, to exit from a dormantmode corresponding to the energy saving mode and to wake up.

Upon receipt of the instruction to start issuing a pilot signal, in StepST22, the eNB1 starts issuing a pilot signal. In Step ST23, the UEjudges whether or not to have detected the pilot signal from any hotspotcell eNB. The UE moves to Step ST24 when judging to have detected thepilot signal or waits until the pilot signal is detected when judging tohave detected no pilot signal.

In Step ST24, the UE provides a detection report to the eNB to reportthat it has detected the pilot signal. In the example shown in FIG. 9,the UE reports the eNB that it has detected the pilot signal from theeNB 1.

In Step ST25, the eNB makes a handover (HO) request to the MME. In StepST26, the MME transmits a handover (HO) allowing signal indicating thathandover is allowed to the eNB. In Step ST27, the eNB instructs the UEto perform handover (HO).

In Step ST28, the MME requests the eNB1 to perform handover (HO). Ifhandover is allowed, in Step ST29, the eNB1 that has received thehandover (HO) request from the MME transmits an ACK signal indicatingthat handover is allowed to the MME.

In Step ST30, the UE performs the handover (HO) process for handoverfrom the eNB to the eNB 1. In Step ST31, the UE transmits a handover(HO) confirmation signal for starting handover to the eNB1 and startscommunication with the eNB1. The eNB 1 that has received the handover(HO) confirmation signal starts communication with the UE. In Step ST32,the eNB1 transmits a handover (HO) notification signal indicating thathandover has been started to the MME.

Although the HeNB can be classified as the hotspot cell from theviewpoint of the size of its coverage area and its deployment, the HeNBneeds to be shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode toprovide services to specific users even in the case where the traffic ofa coverage cell is not high. However, 3GPP has yet to discuss thespecific method for this.

Considering that the HeNB is shifted from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode by the traditional technique disclosed in Non-PatentDocument 6 shown in FIG. 9, a fundamental problem arises where a triggerfor shifting the hotspot cell eNB from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode will not arrive until the traffic of the coverage cell eNBincreases.

Even if such a trigger arrives, in the use of, for example, the methoddisclosed in Non-Patent Document 6, shown in FIG. 9, the followingproblem arises. In the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 6 asshown in FIG. 9, the coverage cell instructs a plurality of hotspotcells to measure interference power via signaling. Then, the coveragecell receives the result reports and determines a hotspot cell to beshifted from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. Signaling isaccordingly required between the coverage cell and the plurality ofhotspot cells, leading to a complicated, time-consuming procedure.Further, unfortunately, signaling is performed to the hotspot cell thateventually does not need to be shifted from the energy saving mode tothe normal mode.

Thus, such a communication system is required that can solve theabove-mentioned problem and swiftly shift only a required hotspot cellfrom the energy saving mode to the normal mode irrespective of thetraffic situation of the coverage cell. The present invention thereforeemploys the configuration below.

FIG. 10 shows an example sequence of the process of shifting from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode and the handover process in thefirst embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in FIG.10, the UE is during communication with the eNB being a coverage celleNB. The HeNB being a hotspot cell eNB is operating in the energy savingmode. The eNB corresponds to a large-scale base station device, and theHeNB corresponds to a small-scale base station device.

The HeNB has two operation modes, namely, a normal mode and an energysaving mode. The HeNB can shift from the normal mode to the energysaving mode and shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

In the normal mode, the HeNB operates the transmitting unit 912, thesynthesizing unit 913, and the receiving unit 914 constituting thetransmitting and receiving unit 907 shown in FIG. 7 described above. TheHeNB operates the transmitting unit 912 to transmit a downlinktransmission signal to be transmitted to the UE. The HeNB operates thereceiving unit 914 to receive an uplink transmission signal transmittedfrom the UE.

In the energy saving mode, the HeNB stops at least the transmissionoperation for a downlink transmission signal by the transmitting unit912. Specifically, in the energy saving mode to reduce energyconsumption, the HeNB continues only the operations by the synthesizingunit 913 and the receiving unit 914 that are required to detectinterference while stopping the operation of the transmitting unit 912in the transmitting and receiving unit 907 shown in FIG. 7 describedabove.

In Step ST41, the HeNB measures interference. In Step ST42, the HeNBjudges whether or not to have detected interference. The HeNB moves toStep ST43 when judging to have detected interference in Step ST42 orreturns to Step ST41 when judging to have detected no interference inStep ST42.

In Step ST43, the HeNB cancels the energy saving mode and shifts to thenormal mode. In Step ST44, the HeNB starts issuing a pilot signal.

When judging to have detected a pilot signal in Step ST23, the UE movesto Step ST24. The processes of Steps ST24 to ST32 are performed in aprocedure similar to that of FIG. 9 described above. The UE accordinglyhands over from the eNB to the HeNB.

As described above, this embodiment enables the HeNB to shift from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode even if the traffic of the eNBdoes not increase.

As the sequence of signaling, the instructions to measure interferencepower from the eNB being a coverage cell eNB to the HeNB in Steps ST12to ST14 shown in FIG. 9 described above and the processes of receivingthe measurement reports in Steps ST17 to ST19 can be skipped. Thisallows the UE to belong to the HeNB swiftly.

The hotspot cell eNB that does not need to shift from the energy savingmode to the normal mode, for example, the HeNB does not need to measureinterference power and to report the measurement results, and thus canbe kept in the energy saving mode.

As described above, this embodiment enables a small-scale cell thatrequires a shift, for example, only the hotspot cell or the HeNB toswiftly shift from the energy saving mode to the normal modeirrespective of the traffic situation of the coverage cell being alarge-scale cell.

Thus, the UE can swiftly hand over from the large-scale cell to thesmall-scale cell. This allows the provision of the required service tothe UE without delay.

The following four (1) to (4) will be disclosed as the method ofselecting a frequency at which interference power is measured in thefirst embodiment.

(1) The HeNB makes classification according to the past history of use,for example, the frequency of use of frequencies according to at the ownstation, and skips measurements for the frequencies with a relativelylow frequency of use.

(2) The HeNB searches neighbor cells before shifting to the energysaving mode and preferentially measures the frequency described as aninformation element in the SIB. In other words, the HeNB preferentiallymeasures the frequency of a neighbor cell.

(3) The HeNB instructs the frequency to be preferentially measured fromother node before shifting to the energy saving mode. The other node maybe a neighbor eNB, MME, OAM, HeMS, or HeNBGW.

(4) In the case where there are a plurality of frequencies to bemeasured, in the methods of (1) to (3) described above, interferencepower is not measured for all the frequencies, but the frequencies aredivided into several frequency groups and one or a plurality offrequencies are sampled and measured from each group.

The methods (1) to (3) described above and the methods (1) to (3) eachcombined with the method (4) above may be used independently or incombination.

Table 1 shows an example method of measuring interference in the use ofthe method (1) above. In Table 1, the number of frequencies that can beused at the HeNB is represented as N (N is a natural number) from one toN, and each frequency is represented as a number.

TABLE 1 Interference History of measurement Frequency use/Frequency inenergy No. of use saving mode 1 low skipped 2 medium skipped 3 high done4 high done 5 low skipped 6 medium skipped . . . . . . . . . N high done

In the energy saving mode the HeNB keeps operating the receiving unit914 and the synthesizing unit 913 that are required for detectinginterference while stopping the operation of the transmitting unit 912that is effective at saving energy in the transmitting and receivingunit 907 shown in FIG. 7 described above.

In the example shown in Table 1, the HeNB classifies the frequencies atwhich interference power is measured into “low” indicating a relativelylow frequency of use, “medium” indicating a medium frequency of use, and“high” indicating a relatively high frequency of use according to thepast history of use, for example, according to frequency of use. Then,the HeNB skips measuring interference power for the frequency with arelatively low frequency of use, specifically, for the frequencies with“low” and “medium” frequencies of use and measures interference poweronly for the frequency with “high” frequency of use.

By classifying frequencies according to the history of use and measuringinterference power only for specific frequencies, the consumption powerin the energy saving mode can be reduced more than the case in whichinterference power is measured for all frequencies. Additionally, thefrequencies at which measurement is performed are selected based on thehistory of use, for example, frequency of use, improving the probabilityof detecting interference.

Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Table 1 described above,the measurement of interference power is skipped at the frequency atwhich the frequency of use is “low” or “medium,” and is lower than apredetermined frequency of use. This prevents the accuracy of detectinginterference from dropping, reducing the energy consumption during theenergy saving mode.

The following (1) to (10) will be disclosed as the method of selectingthe period or time at which interference power is measured in the firstembodiment.

(1) The HeNB classifies the time periods according to the past historyof use, for example, frequency of use at the own station and sets theperiod at which interference power is measured longer for the timeperiod with a relatively low frequency of use.

(2) The HeNB measures interference power at the time when the frequencyof use is relatively high based on the past history of use of the ownstation.

(3) A parameter is newly provided to the signaling of the S1 interfaceso that other node designates, for the HeNB, the period or time at whichinterference power is measured. The other node may be HeMS, MME, orHeNBGW.

(4) A parameter is newly provided to the signaling of the X2 interfaceso that the eNB designates, for the HeNB before shifting to the energysaving mode, the period or time at which interference power is measured.For example, a parameter is newly provided to the signaling from the MMEso that the period or time at which interference power is measured isdesignated.

(5) The information on the period or time at which interference power ismeasured is included in the information element of an Ack signal to benotified the HeNB that shifts to the energy saving mode from other nodeor eNB in the methods (3) and (4).

(6) The information element on the period or time at which interferencepower is measured is defined in the broadcast information and istransmitted from the eNB being a macro cell, and then, the HeNBdetermines the period or time at which interference power is measuredfrom the received broadcast information.

(7) The HeNB receives the relative narrowband Tx power (RNTP) being thetransmission power information per resource block from the neighbor basestation and, using this, determines the period or time at whichinterference power is measured in accordance with the load of theneighbor base station.

(8) The period or time at which interference power is measured isdetermined using, for example, the load information of the base stationnotified from the MME by means of the S1 interface.

(9) A plurality of periods, for example, a short period and a longperiod are provided in the methods (1) and (3) to (7) of periodicallymeasuring interference.

(10) One or a plurality of thresholds lower than the threshold of theinterference amount, with which the HeNB has to shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode, are prepared. The period of (9) above ischanged to a shorter period when the measured interference amountexceeds the thresholds, or the period of (9) above is changed to alonger period when the measured interference amount falls below thethresholds.

The methods (1) to (8) above and the method (1) to (8) each combinedwith (9) or (10) above may be used independently or in combination.

Table 2 shows an example method of measuring interference in the casewhere the method (1) above is used. In the example shown in Table 2, oneday is divided into 24 time periods on an hour basis. Each time perioddoes not include the end time of each time period. For example,“1:00-2:00” represents between one o'clock (inclusive) to two o'clock(exclusive), and two o'clock (2:00) is included in the time period“2:00-3:00.”

TABLE 2 Interference measurement History of period in energyuse/Frequency saving mode Time period of use (example)  0:00-1:00 lowlong period (ten minutes)  1:00-2:00 low long period (ten minutes) 2:00-3:00 low long period (ten minutes)  3:00-4:00 low long period (tenminutes)  4:00-5:00 low long period (ten minutes)  5:00-6:00 low longperiod (ten minutes)  6:00-7:00 medium medium period (three minutes) 7:00-8:00 high short period (one minute)  8:00-9:00 high short period(one minute)  9:00-10:00 medium medium period (three minutes)10:00-11:00 low long period (ten minutes) 11:00-12:00 low long period(ten minutes) 12:00-13:00 low long period (ten minutes) 13:00-14:00 lowlong period (ten minutes) 14:00-15:00 low long period (ten minutes)15:00-16:00 low long period (ten minutes) 16:00-17:00 medium mediumperiod (three minutes) 17:00-18:00 high short period (one minute)18:00-19:00 high short period (one minute) 19:00-20:00 high short period(one minute) 20:00-21:00 high short period (one minute) 21:00-22:00 highshort period (one minute) 22:00-23:00 medium medium period (threeminutes) 23:00-24:00 medium medium period (three minutes)

As described above, in the energy saving mode, the HeNB keeps operatingthe receiving unit 914 and the synthesizing unit 913 that are requiredto detect interference while stopping the operation of the transmittingunit 912 effective at saving energy in the transmitting and receivingunit 907 shown in FIG. 7 described above.

In the example shown in Table 2, the HeNB classifies the time periods inwhich interference power is measured into “low,” “medium,” and “high”according to the past history of use, for example, frequency of use.Then, the HeNB sets the measurement period longer for a time period inwhich the frequency of use is lower.

Specifically, the measurement period of the time period in which thefrequency of use is “low” is set as a long period, for example, tenminutes. The measurement period of the time period in which thefrequency of use is “medium” is set as a medium period, for example,three minutes. The measurement period of the time period in which thefrequency of use is “high” is set as a short period, for example, oneminute.

Setting the measurement period of each time period according to thehistory of use as described above reduces the energy consumption duringthe energy saving mode more than the case in which measurement isperformed at the same measurement period in all time periods.

Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Table 2, the measurementperiod is set longer for a time period in which the frequency of use islower. This prevents the accuracy of detecting interference fromdropping, reducing the energy consumption during the energy saving mode.

Second Embodiment

An energy saving policy per access mode and a method of determining anenergy saving policy will be disclosed as a modification of the firstembodiment. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodimentdescribed above in the configuration except for the energy saving policy(policy) per access mode and the method of determining an energy savingpolicy.

First, the following four (1) to (4) will be disclosed as specificexamples of the energy saving policy per access mode.

(1) The energy saving policy is developed such that the cells in theclosed access mode and the hybrid access mode cannot be switched off andwill not be shifted to the energy saving mode. The energy saving policyis developed such that the cell in the open access mode can be switchedoff and can be shifted to the energy saving mode.

(2) The energy saving policy is developed such that the cells in theclosed access mode and the hybrid access mode will not serve as energysaving cells. The energy saving policy is developed such that the cellin the open access mode will serve as an energy saving cell.

(3) The energy saving policy is developed such that the cells in theclosed access mode and the hybrid access mode will not serve as coveragecells (compensation cells) but will serve as hotspot cells. The energysaving policy is developed such that the cell in the open access modewill serve as a coverage cell.

(4) The switch-off policy is not changed per access mode but theswitch-on policy is changed. As a specific example, the cells in theclosed access mode and the hybrid access mode are allowed to be switchedon based on the judgment by itself to shift from the energy saving modeto the normal mode. The cell in the open access mode is allowed to beswitched on at the instruction of the neighbor cell that has detectedhigh traffic, specifically, the coverage cell to shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode. Alternatively, the cells in the closedaccess mode and the hybrid access mode may be allowed to be switched onby the first embodiment including modifications, and the cell in theopen access mode may be allowed to be switched on by the typical methodto shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

The following two (1) and (2) will be disclosed as specific examples ofthe method of determining an energy saving policy.

(1) An energy saving policy is determined in a fixed manner when, forexample, a cell is installed. This eliminates signaling forconfiguration, preventing the communication system from becomingcomplicated.

(2) An energy saving policy is determined in a semi-static manner, whenan access mode is set, according to the mode. Alternatively, theoperation administration and maintenance (OAM) may determine an energysaving policy. This allows for the development of a flexible energysaving policy per access mode.

Third Embodiment

An energy saving policy based on the status of a neighbor cell and amethod of determining an energy saving policy will be disclosed as amodification of the first embodiment. The third embodiment is similar tothe first embodiment described above in the configuration except for theenergy saving policy based on the status of a neighbor cell and themethod of determining an energy saving policy.

In this embodiment, the eNB can vary, based on the results of neighborcell search, the energy saving policy between in the case where aneighbor cell having the reception quality equal to or more than athreshold is found and in the case where no neighbor cell having thereception quality equal to or more than a threshold is found.

First, the following two (1) and (2) will be disclosed as specificexamples of the timing at which neighbor cell search is performed.

(1) When the eNB is installed.

(2) When or before the eNB shifts to the energy saving mode.

The specific example (1) achieves an effect that the eNB can lessfrequently perform neighbor cell search than the specific example (2),reducing the energy consumption of the eNB.

The specific example (2) has an effect that the more flexible supportfor a neighbor cell status is enabled than the specific example (1).

Next, the following two (1) and (2) will be disclosed as specificexamples of the energy saving policy based on the status of the neighborcell.

(1) Specific example in the case where the timing at which neighbor cellsearch is performed as in the specific example (1).

When a neighbor cell having the reception quality equal to or more thana threshold is found, the eNB can switch off the energy saving policyand can shift to the energy saving mode. When no neighbor cell havingthe reception quality equal to or more than a threshold is found, theeNB cannot switch off the energy saving policy and will not shift to theenergy saving mode.

(2) Specific example in the case where the timing at which neighbor cellsearch is performed as in the specific example (2).

When a neighbor cell having the reception quality equal to or more thana threshold is found, the eNB will switch off the energy saving policyand will shift to the energy saving mode. When no neighbor cell havingthe reception quality equal to or more than a threshold is found, theeNB will not switch off the energy saving policy, will not shift to theenergy saving mode, or will shift to the energy saving mode using anMBSFN subframe.

As described above, this embodiment can allow for a flexible energysaving policy based on the status of a neighbor cell.

The third embodiment can be used in combination with the secondembodiment.

Fourth Embodiment

Disclosed below as a modification of the first embodiment is a method ofexchanging information (hereinafter, also referred to as “informationexchange method”) by a HeNB with other node, for example, a neighboreNB, MME, HeMS, or HeNBGW when shifting from the normal mode to theenergy saving mode or when shifting from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode. The fourth embodiment is similar to the first embodimentdescribed above in the configuration except for the information exchangemethod.

First, the following three (1) and (3) will be disclosed as specificexamples of the information exchange method when the HeNB shifts to theenergy saving mode.

(1) Information exchange method in the case where the HeMS instructs ashift to the energy saving mode.

(1-1) From HeMS to HeNB

A home eNodeB management system (HeMS) may notify the HeNB of theinformation instructing a shift to the energy saving mode. Thisinformation is notified on the Type 1 interface (see 3GPP TS32.593(hereinafter, referred to as “Reference 1”). The HeNB that has receivedthe information shifts to the energy saving mode. This also allows theenergy saving control for the HeNB.

(1-2) From HeNB to HeNBGW/MME

The HeNB that has received an instruction to shift to the energy savingmode from the HeMS notifies the HeNBGW or the MME of the informationindicating a shift to the energy saving mode. This information isnotified on the S1 interface. The HeNB that has notified the informationshifts to the energy saving mode. The HeNB that will shift to the energysaving mode may store the cell configuration information.

The MME can accordingly recognize the mode of the HeNB registered withthe own MME. As a result, the use of the HeNB can be taken intoconsideration in the load control by the MME as appropriate.Additionally, the registration of the HeNB with the MME is not requiredin the next shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

(1-3) From HeNBGW/MME to HeNB (S1 Reset)

The HeNBGW/MME that has received the information indicating a shift tothe energy saving mode may notify the HeNB of S1 reset (see 3GPPTS36.413). The S1 reset may contain the information indicating a shiftto the energy saving mode. The HeNB that has received the S1 resetperforms the process, for example, such as the release of the S1resource and notifies the HeNBGW/MME of an S1 reset response. Then, theHeNB shifts to the energy saving mode. Upon this, the S1 resource isreleased during the energy saving mode as appropriate, improving theefficiency of using resources as a system.

(1-4) From HeNB to HeNBGW/MME (S1 Reset)

The HeNB that has received the instruction to shift to the energy savingmode from the HeMS may notify the HeNBGW/MME of S1 reset. The S1 resetmay contain the information indicating a shift to the energy savingmode. The HeNBGW/MME that has received the S1 reset performs the processof, for example, releasing the S1 resource of the HeNB and notifies theHeNB of an S1 reset response. The HeNB that has received the S1 resetresponse may shift to the energy saving mode.

(1-5) Rejection from HeNBGW/MME to HeNB

The HeNBGW/MME that has received the S1 reset may notify the HeNB of amessage indicating a rejection of the S1 reset. The HeNB that hasreceived the rejection message will not shift to the energy saving mode.The rejection message may contain an S1 reset prohibition timer. Afterthe expiry of the S1 reset prohibition timer, the HeNB that has receivedthe rejection message can notify the HeNBGW/MME of the S1 reset again.

The HeNBGW/MME may judge whether or not S1 reset is allowed for theHeNB, depending on the situation at the time of the reception of S1reset. When the S1 reset can be performed, the HeNBGW/MME notifies theHeNB of an S1 reset response. The HeNB that has received the S1 resetresponse shifts to the energy saving mode. This allows the MME to judgewhether or not to shift the HeNB to the energy saving mode depending onthe situation of the network, for example, the load status.

(2) Information exchange method in the case where the HeNB autonomouslyshifts to the energy saving mode.

(2-1) From HeNB to MME

In autonomously shifting to the energy saving mode, the HeNB may perform(1-2), (1-3), or (1-4) above before shifting to the energy saving mode.This achieves similar effects.

(2-2) From HeNB to HeMS

In autonomously shifting to the energy saving mode, the HeNB may notifythe HeMS of the information indicating a shift to the energy saving modebefore shifting to the energy saving mode. This allows the HeMS torecognize the mode of the HeNB.

(3) Information exchange method in the case where the centric node (eNB)instructs a shift to the energy saving mode.

There is no X2 interface between the eNB and the HeNB (see Non-PatentDocument 1). Thus, the eNB may instruct the HeNB that will shift to theenergy saving mode via the MME or via the MME and the HeNBGW by means ofthe S1 interface. The message for shifting to the energy saving mode maybe provided. The HeNB that has received the instruction to shift to theenergy saving mode shifts to the energy saving mode.

The following three (4) to (6) will be disclosed as specific examples ofthe information exchange method in the shift from the energy saving modeto the normal mode.

(4) Information exchange method in the case where the HeMS instructs ashift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

(4-1) From HeMS to HeNB

In the case of the HeNB, the home eNodeB management system (HeMS) maynotify the HeNB of the information indicating a shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode. This information is notified on the Type1 interface (see Reference 1). The HeNB that has received theinformation indicating a shift from the energy saving mode to the normalmode shifts from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. This alsoallows energy saving control for the HeNB.

(4-2) From HeNB to HeNBGW/MME

The HeNB that has received the instruction to shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode from the HeMS notifies the HeNBGW/MME ofthe information indicating a shift from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode. This information is notified on the S1 interface. The HeNBthat has notified this information shifts from the energy saving mode tothe normal mode. The HeNB to shift from the energy saving mode to thenormal mode reconfigures the stored cell configuration information. Thisallows the MME to recognize the mode of the HeNB registered with the ownMME. As a result, the use of the HeNB can be taken into consideration inthe load control by the MME as appropriate.

(4-3) From HeNB to HeNBGW/MME (S1 Setup)

The HeNB that has received the instruction to shift from the energysaving mode to the normal mode from the HeMS may notify the HeNBGW/MMEof an S1 setup request. The S1 setup request may contain the informationindicating a shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

The HeNBGW/MME that has received the S1 setup request performs theprocess of, for example, configuring the S1 resource of the HeNB,thereby notifying the HeNB of an S1 setup response. The HeNB that hasreceived the S1 setup response may shift from the energy saving mode tothe normal mode. Upon this, the S1 resource is configured with the useof the S1 setup request.

(5) Information exchange method in the case where the HeNB autonomouslyshifts from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

(5-1) From HeNB to MME

In autonomously shifting from the energy saving mode to the normal mode,the HeNB may perform (4-2) or (4-3) above before shifting from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode, leading to the similar effect.

(5-2) From HeNB to HeMS

In autonomously shifting from the energy saving mode to the normal mode,the HeNB may notify the HeMS of the information indicating a shift fromthe energy saving mode to the normal mode before shifting from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode. This allows the HeMS to recognizethe mode of the HeNB.

(6) Information exchange method in the case where the centric node (eNB)instructs a shift from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

There is no X2 interface between the eNB and the HeNB (see Non-PatentDocument 1). Thus, the eNB may instruct the HeNB to shift from theenergy saving mode to the normal mode via the MME or via the MME and theHeNBGW by means of the S1 interface.

There may be provided a message for shifting from the energy saving modeto the normal mode. The HeNB that has received the instruction to shiftfrom the energy saving mode to the normal mode shifts from the energysaving mode to the normal mode.

The embodiments of the present invention can be arbitrarily combined, orany components of the each embodiment can be varied or omitted asappropriate.

While the invention has been shown and described in detail, theforegoing description is in all aspects illustrative and notrestrictive. It is therefore understood that numerous modifications andvariations can be devised without departing from the scope of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

901 EPC communication unit, 902 communication with another base stationunit, 903 protocol processing unit, 904 transmission data buffer unit,905 encoding unit, 906 modulating unit, 907 transmitting and receivingunit, 908 antenna, 909 demodulating unit, 910 decoding unit, 911 controlunit, 912 transmitting unit, 913 synthesizing unit, 914 receiving unit.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A communication system, which comprises acommunication terminal device, a large-scale base station device thatconfigures a large-scale cell having a relatively large range in whichsaid large-scale base station device is configured to perform radiocommunication with said communication terminal device, and a small-scalebase station device that configures a small-scale cell having arelatively small range in which said small-scale base station device isconfigured to perform said radio communication, said small-scale cellbeing installed in said large-scale cell, wherein said small-scale basestation device has two operation modes of a normal mode and an energysaving mode and is capable of shifting from said normal mode to saidenergy saving mode and shifting from said energy saving mode to saidnormal mode, said small-scale base station device performing atransmission operation for a downlink transmission signal to betransmitted to said communication terminal device and a receptionoperation for an uplink transmission signal transmitted from saidcommunication terminal device in said normal mode, said small-scale basestation device stopping at least said transmission operation in saidenergy saving mode, in said energy saving mode, said small-scale basestation device performs a detection operation of detecting interferenceagainst the own device and, upon detection of the interference by saidcommunication terminal device during communication with said large-scalebase station device, shifts from said energy saving mode to said normalmode, said detection operation is an operation of measuring interferencepower per frequency, and said small-scale base station device classifiesfrequencies at which said interference power is measured according to apast history of use of the frequencies, and skips measuring saidinterference power at a frequency at which said history of use satisfiesa predetermined condition.
 2. The communication system according toclaim 1, wherein said history of use is a frequency of use, and saidsmall-scale base station device skips measuring said interference powerat a frequency at which the frequency of use is lower than apredetermined frequency.
 3. The communication system according to claim1, wherein said detection operation is an operation of measuringinterference power per frequency, and said small-scale base stationdevice classifies time periods in which said interference power ismeasured according to a past history of use of the periods, andconfigures a time period in which said interference power is measuredfor each of the classified time periods.
 4. The communication systemaccording to claim 3, wherein said history of use is a frequency of use,and said small-scale base station device configures, for a time periodin which the frequency of use is lower, a longer period in which saidinterference power is measured.
 5. The communication system according toclaim 1, wherein said small-scale base station device starts issuing apilot signal indicating the own device when shifting from said energysaving mode to said normal mode, and upon receipt of said pilot signalby said communication terminal device, a handover process from saidlarge-scale base station device to said small-scale base station deviceis performed for said communication terminal device.
 6. A communicationsystem, which comprises a communication terminal device, a large-scalebase station device that configures a large-scale cell having arelatively large range in which said large-scale base station device isconfigured to perform radio communication with said communicationterminal device, and a small-scale base station device that configures asmall-scale cell having a relatively small range in which saidsmall-scale base station device is configured to perform said radiocommunication, said small-scale cell being installed in said large-scalecell, wherein said small-scale base station device has two operationmodes of a normal mode and an energy saving mode and is capable ofshifting from said normal mode to said energy saving mode and shiftingfrom said energy saving mode to said normal mode, said small-scale basestation device performing a transmission operation for a downlinktransmission signal to be transmitted to said communication terminaldevice and a reception operation for an uplink transmission signaltransmitted from said communication terminal device in said normal mode,said small-scale base station device stopping at least said transmissionoperation in said energy saving mode, in said energy saving mode, saidsmall-scale base station device performs a detection operation ofdetecting interference against the own device and, upon detection of theinterference by said communication terminal device during communicationwith said large-scale base station device, shifts from said energysaving mode to said normal mode, said detection operation is anoperation of measuring interference power per frequency, and saidsmall-scale base station device classifies time periods in which saidinterference power is measured according to a past history of use of theperiods, and configures a time period in which said interference poweris measured for each of the classified time periods.
 7. Thecommunication system according to claim 6, wherein said history of useis a frequency of use, and said small-scale base station deviceconfigures, for a time period in which the frequency of use is lower, alonger period in which said interference power is measured.
 8. Thecommunication system according to claim 6, wherein said small-scale basestation device starts issuing a pilot signal indicating the own devicewhen shifting from said energy saving mode to said normal mode, and uponreceipt of said pilot signal by said communication terminal device, ahandover process from said large-scale base station device to saidsmall-scale base station device is performed for said communicationterminal device.